Paper-feeding machine



(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

L. C. HOPKINS. PAPER PPPDING MAG-HINP.

Patented Sgpt. s, 1895.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

L. C. HOPKINS.

APER FEE-DING MACHINE. V Y No. 545,863. Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

e Z Y Z4 24' t al zz 0 2; 244/ (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet' 3.

L. e. HOPKINS. PAPER FEEDING MACHINE.

Patented Sept. 3, 1895.

LINTON C. HOPKINS, OF ATLANTA, GEORGIA.

PAPER-FEEDING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 545,863, datedSeptember 3, 1895. Application filed July 31| 1894i Serial No. 519,224.(No model.)

To all whom it may concern):

Be it known that I, LINTON C. HOPKINS, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Atlanta, in the county of Fulton and State of Georgia,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticSheet-Feeders 5 and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to figuresof reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification. K

This invention is shown in the accom panying drawings in a formparticularly adapted to feed a cylinder press, in which- Figure 1 is aside elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the dischargeend of the device, the same being on the right as shown in Fig. 1. Fig.3 is a section through the paper-table, showing the feed and retainingmechanism. Fig. 4 is a detail of the cam operating to impart thependulous motion to the sticker-arms. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of themechanism for moving sheets to the side guide. Fig. 6 is a detail of thecam operating the sticker-arms in their vertical movements. Fig. 7 is asection showing the feed-rollers, bands, grid, and feed-table. Fig. 8shows the mechanism for automatically elevating the paper-table. Fig. 9is a plan of the left-hand -half of the device, as seen in Fig. 1.

construction to adapt it be secured upon orV near the press or othermachine to be fed. Two uprights or a slotted single upright 2 aresecured on each side of the frame 1, anda cross-head 3 is seated and hasvertical movement in each. Extending between and secured to thesecross-heads is a bar upon which rests the paper-table 4, provided, ifdesired, with sides 5, forming a two-sided box. The cross-heads slide inor on the uprights and are vertically adjustable by means of alead-screw 6, running in a nut on each cross-head, its upper end beingpreferably squared at 7 for the application of a wrench. In order tomake the upward movement of the paper-table continuous, a bevelgear ismounted on the lower end of each of these lead-screws, and a transverseshaft 8, carrying a bevel-gear 9, meshing with the gear 7', is suitablyjournaled and is revolved by connecting in any approved manner with someof the operative parts. The form shown is as shown in Fig 8, wherein isshown an oscillating lever lO, carrying a pawl engaging the teeth ofratchet-wheel l1 on the shaft 8, and said lever l0 being actuated in itsoscillation by a pitman 12, connected with eccentric 13 on the mainshaft 14. Uprights 15 have bearings near their lower ends for the shaft14, and the same is driven by belt on the pulley 16, so proportioned asto properly synchronize the feeder and the machine fed. A shaft17,having one or more feed-rollers 18 thereon, is journaled on the brackets19 in about the position relative to the paper-table shown in Fig. 3,while idler or presser rollers 20, which are preferably separatelyjournaled in blocks 2l, are secured to a bar 22, which is bolted rigidlyto the upper ends of the brackets 19 and serves to brace them. A shaft23 is journaled on the uprights 2 above and transversely of thepaper-table. Arms 24 are pivotally secured at one endto the shaft 23,and on their distal extremities the sticker-arms 25 are secured at abouttheir middle and stand in approximately a vertical position upon the rod26, which is pivotedin and connects the arms 24 extending from one tothe other. The plungers 27 are mounted and have vertical movement in theguides 28 on the side of the upright 15 on each side of the machine, thelower ends resting upon the periphery of the cams 28 on the main shaft.(See Figari, 6, and 9.) A rod 24 extends from the outer side of each arm24 and rests in the bifurcated upper ends of the plungers 27. In theconstruction shown the rod 24 extends beyond and between the arms 24,which simplifies the construction, the rigidity of the said rod takingthe place of an expensive setting of an outwardly-projecting pin in eacharm 24. By means of the revolution of the cams the plungers, and hencethe stickerarms, have vertical movement. On rollers 29, revolublysecured to the lower ends of the sticker-arms, is placed a band 30 of anadhesive material. Consequently, when the sticker- IOG arms ascend onesheet of paper is carried therewith and freely released when pulled uponby said rollers 18 and 20. The rollers 29 revolve freely on theirjournal-pins on the lower ends of the stickerarms 25 Hence, as the paperis drawn forwardly by the rollers 18 and 2O a ready separation of thesheet and rollers takes place, for the reason that the point on therollers to which the paper was adhered by pressure rolls upwardly awayfrom the sheet and no pressure is present to cause an adherence of thesheet to any other point 0n the roller.

In order to feed the papers between the rollers 18 and 20, a pendulousmotion is imparted to the stickerarms by means of a pitman 31,pivotallysecured by pins 26 to near the upper end of one arm 25 on each side ot"the machine, which pitman is bifurcated at its opposite end, straddlingthe shaft whereby it is guided, and being provided with a pin 32, whichmay carry an antifriction-roller, if desired, engaging the cam-groove 33in the wheel 34 on the aforesaid shaft 23. The shaft 23 is caused torevolve by a pulley 35 and a belt 36 running thereon and also on acorrelatively-placed pulley on the main shaft. As the shaft revolves,the wheels 34 also revolve, which produces a reciprocation of the pitman31 and a consequent pendulous movement of the sticker-bars, thecam-groove being of such form and its movements so timed that the upwardmovement of the sticker-bar precedes its pendulous movement toward thefeedrollers and thereverse on its descent. Cranks 37 are on each end ofthe shaft 23, for the purpose presently seen.

Journaled in bearings on the upper ends of the uprights 38, which slideon the frame 1, is a shaft 39, which carries, as shown in Figs. 1, 3,and 9, two cams 41 and 42. The shaft 39 is caused to revolve byconnection of approved kind with the shaft 23; but as the two shaftsshould be synchronized, the preferable form of connection is that shown,consisting of the cranks 37 on the shaft 23 and the cranks 42 on theshaft 39, which are set quartering and connected on each side of themachine by a pitman, which should have adjustable connection with one ofthe cranks 42', in order to provide for the sliding of the uprights 38in adjusting the device for feeding different-sized sheets. Arms 43 arepivoted on the rod 44, extending between and bracing the uprights 38,and rest intermediately upon the cams 40 on the shaft 39, whereby theyare given an oscillating motion. These arms 43 carry sticker-arms 45 ontheir ends, like the arms 25 hereinbefore described, and, like thosearms, serve to pick up the paper, and at the same time, in order toprevent drawing forward a free sheet by the forward movement ot' the topsheet, a gripperfoot- 46, carried on the end of a bell-crank lever 47,grips the paper normally, rising and releasing same as soon as the sheetis touched by the rollers on the sticker-arms 25 and 45, and again beingspring-pressed upon the remaining paper after the top sheet is elevatedand before it is moved forward bythe pendulous movement of the arms 25.This leveris actuated by the cani 41, and, in order to move it in theslot 49 in the paper-table, its pivot.- ing-block is mounted in across-bar 50 between the uprights 38 and movable with them. Vherenecessary, a table 51 is secured to the frame in any approved manner,and above it is a grid 52, composed of end bars 53 and a plurality ofbars 54 extending therebetween, the said grid lying parallel to andextending substantially over the table 51. The upper bar 53 is providedwith a knife-edged guidelip 55, which extends to a point slightly abovethe point of exit of the paper from between the feed rollers and guidesthe edge of the paper issuing from between same below the grid. By meansof screws 56, passing through the ends of the bars 53 and into the table51 this grid is adjusted in its distance above said table. A shaft 57 ismounted between uprights 58 on the frame 1 and rollers 59 are securedthereto. Tapes 60 run on the rollers 18 and 59, their forwardly-movinghalves being above the table and hence between it and the grid. Thesetapes carry the sheet forward, and the grid acts to press it against thetapes and hence affords friction sufficient to prevent a sheet fromsliding down faster. than the tapes run and prevents any displacement ofsaid sheet whatever. A ta ble 60 is placed at thelower end of theaforesaid table and is provided with running bands 6l, carried onrollers 62 at the lower end of this table 60 and the rollers 59 justdescribed, the rollers 62 being driven from the main shaft by belts G3and 64 and an idler step-'pulley 65 and the rollers 59 by the tapes 61from said rollers 62. The table 60 eX- tends to such a point relativelyto the machine to be fed as to deliver the sheet to the grippers orequivalent parts of the fed machine.

On the upper surface of the table and near either edge thereof, as maybe required, is a side guide 68, and oblong openings are cut inl K Abed-plate 69, Fig. 5, is mounted 1 the table. so as to slide verticallyin guides 70, and a series of shafts 71 are journaled on said plate insuch a position that the rollers 72 on said shafts will enter the oblongholes in the table, pass through the same, and project their peripheralsurfaces above the table and into contact with the sheet thereon whenthe plate 69 is elevated, which is done by reciprocable Wedges 73,seated between said plate 69 and the frame 1 and reeiprocabletherebetween by pitmen 74, connected to the strap 75 of the eccentric 76on the main shaft of the machine, by means of which the rollers 72 arecaused to be intermittently elevated above the table 60 and into contactwith the sheet of paper on said table.

IIO

the shaft 78, between the gears 8O and 8l, is,

omitted for clearness of the drawings.

The operation of this device is as follows: The paper is placed in thebox-table 4, which is lowered to the desired point, whence it is pickedup, one sheet at a time, by means of the oscillating sticker-bars 25 and45, the clamp 46 on the lever -t7 preventing the paper in the pile frombeing moved by the operation of lifting the top sheet, and a pendulousmovement of the bars 25 inserting the sheet be-` tween the rollers 18and 20, by means of which it is inserted between the tapes 60 and thegrid 54 and carried to the lower table 60', where it is moved against aside guide by the rollers 72 and fed to the press by the bands 6l.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. In a sheet-feeder, a paper-holding table, levers pivotally mountedthereover, a rod eX- tending between and pivotally secured to the freeends of said levers, bars secured to said rod between said levers andcarrying freely revoluble on their lower ends wheels, adhesive bandssecured to the periphery of each of said wheels, means for causing saidlevers to move upwardly and downwardly on their pivotal points and forcausing said bars to move pendulously.

2. In a sheetfeeder, the paper-table, a revoluble shaft journalledthereover, carrying wheels provided with cam-grooves on one side ofeach, bars pivoted upon said shaft, a rod pivoted in and extendingbetween their free ends, bars pendent from about their middles from andsecured to said rod, means for engaging a sheet on their lower ends, apitman connected with the upper ends of the end members of the series ofthe pendent bars, bifurcated and straddling the shaft, a pin in each ofsaid pitmen engaging the cam-groove in the correlative wheel, and meansfor lifting the free ends of the first named bars substantially as andfor the purpose specilied.

3. In asheet feeder, the combination of a paper-table and means forfeeding paper therefrom, with the lever pivoted and carrying apresser-foot over said table in a position to contact with the back edgeof the paper thereon, a spring adapted to hold said presser foot incontact, a second pivoted lever carrying on its free end a pendent armprovided with a sticker on its lower end, a shaft, a cam thereon adaptedto be revolved in contact with and vibrate the latter named leververtically and a striker cam adapted to be revolved and vibrate thefirst named lever from contact with the paper upon the depression of thesticker, all combined arranged andv operating substantially as andforthe purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of twowitnesses.

LINTON C. HOPKINS.

Witnesses:

A. P. Woon, HARDIE L. Keira.

